Does anyone do extensive hiking/ backpacking with a dog that has had a cruciate ligament repair? My male, Bronx, had surgery February 2nd and has been on IR since then while slowly healing. It has now been 4 months and he is able to do moderate activity without showing signs of soreness. I know he is still working his leg back to full strength so I still try to limit his activity quite a bit. Over the past month we have been increasing our walking times and incorporating some swimming to help build the muscles he has neglected since surgery. We went on our first "run" (more like a very slow jog) together this weekend and did about 3 miles with a 20 minute break for water and massaging in the middle. I know all dogs are different and recover differently but Im wondering has anyone got their dog back out on the trail for overnight backpacking after this type of surgery? If so, in what what kind of time frame post surgery (again I know all dogs heal different and may require more or less time). I would like to take him on the annual Thanksgiving trip covering 30-40 miles over 4 days but I am wondering when it would be safe to start with some small hikes this summer. If it helps at all, we would be doing most of our hiking on the Appalachian Trail on the east coast.

Work him up to it slowly, and if he doesn't act sore, then he is OK to do any activity his joints will handle. Some dogs recover better than others, most will eventually develop arthritis regardless of the surgery. Keep building up that muscle, and he should be able to handle a long hike like that without problems.